Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Saint Privat d’Allier to Monistrol d’Allier

April 2, 2023

Yesterday, after arriving on the edge of town in Saint-Privat, I followed directions to our accommodations – Chambre d’hôtes Le Saint-Bernard. I confess I chose this lodging because of the name! I used to have a Saint Bernard many years ago! Our hosts were Sabine and Patrick. Sabine greeted me at the door. There were a couple of other guests who had arrived before me getting checked in as well.

If you will recall, we had made changes to our original plan and altered our stays for the first few days. We had left a voicemail message with La Malle Postale that we would be stopping in Saint-Privat this night and NOT Montbonnet. I asked our hostess if our bag had arrived and, to my dismay, it had not arrived with the other luggage that was being transported by some of the other guests. It was difficult to convey the problem of lost luggage due to the language barrier but, with the help of Google Translate, and another guest who spoke some English, Sabine was able to understand the dilemma. She called the gîte in Montbonnet where we had originally planned to stay and determined that they had dropped our bag there. So, they had not received our voicemail about the change. 😦

After much discussion and waiting around, Sabine offered to go to Montbonnet and retrieve our bag. Keep in mind, even though it was a 15 kilometer walk to Saint-Privat, it was a much shorter driving distance back to Montbonnet. We were eternally grateful to her for this kindness. When we finally got in touch with La Malle Postale, we learned the hard way just how to make changes to our reservations so that they could adjust their schedule. It was necessary to call them prior to 6pm the night before and always best to get an actual person on the phone!

At 45 euros each (that included lodging, dinner and breakfast), this “hébergement” was truly a gem. Dinner that evening was a typical regional meal of Sausage and – wait for it! – Green Lentils. In addition, Patrick served us some local apple wine along with a Liqueur Vervienne du Valey – a locally distilled product described as “an ancestral recipe blending local verbena with a savoury mix of plants, and spices.” It was delicious!

After dinner, Sabine helped us arrange lodging in Monistrol d’Allier for the next night and we retired for the evening – well-fed and content.

Before leaving in the morning, I asked our hosts if there really was a Saint Bernard on site. I got my answer!

We had a very short walk to Monistrol so we spent some time exploring the small village of Saint-Privat in the morning before heading out on the trail.

We stopped in at the local “epicerie” for some lunch items on our way to find the church.

It was a misty, rainy day which gave everything a mystical air. Unfortunately, the church was closed. It was built in the 12th-13th centuries and has been added on to over the years. We found that often times the churches were not open along the Way – especially this time in the season. Also, most of the Catholic churches in these small villages did not have mass daily or even weekly. The priests rotated around to the different churches so it was important to know in advance where and when mass would be conducted throughout the region.

There is a memorial on the grounds of the church honoring the soldiers who died in the World Wars. I was particularly attracted to these war memorials along the Way. It really hit home to me just how hard it must have been to have two incredibly destructive wars fought on your own soil in your towns and villages.

On our way back down to the center of town from the church, we witnessed some cows being dropped off at the local butcher. Many small villages have their own butcher shop/delicatessen – called “Boucherie / Charcuterie” – or some version of that. It was interesting to watch this process. Two cows were unloaded off a trailer and tied up outside the “boucherie”. They were actually rather ornately decked out with bells and adornments. Although I knew their ultimate fate, I felt like they were being somehow honored for their service – if that makes sense? I learned from some French folks later on that this particular butcher shop is very well revered in France as one of the best.

We finished our tour of Saint-Privat and headed out of town towards Monistrol d’Allier. It was a soggy day and we were warned that the trail leading past Rochegude would be treacherous due to the rainy weather. Although I was curious to see the remains of the 13th century castle in this tiny village, we both decided it best to take a detour along the D103 road. This early into our trip we did not want any accidents on slippery trails! You can see on the map below how we followed the D103 until it intersected again with the GR65 near Pratclaux – avoiding the steep descent from Rochegude.

The scenery was lush and green along the way – with some spring flowers starting to color the landscape!

It was a short, steep rocky path down into the town of Monistrol d’Allier.

Our gîte was located directly across the Allier River next to the Pont Eiffel and was aptly named Gîte du Pont Eiffel!

Gustave Eiffel, a reknowned French civil engineer, built this bridge along with many other railroad bridges across France. He is probably best known for his design of the Eiffel Tower for the Universal Exposition of 1889 in Paris. His company was also involved in the design and construction of the Statue of Liberty – a gift from the French government to the United States. Cool history!

I checked in at the gîte with our host Andre as soon as I reached the village. He offered me some tea and a place to sit in the kitchen to eat my lunch of yogurt, apple and chocolate éclair (that I had brought with me from Saint-Privat). With my appetite fully satiated, Andre showed me to my room up some very winding narrow steps to the third floor. He also instructed me on the use of the shower – which was actually very high tech! It even had a setting to play music! I asked about handwashing some clothes and he set me up with a tub, some detergent and strung up a clothesline above the woodstove so they would dry! 🙂

Once my clothes were hung to dry and my shower complete, I still had some time in the afternoon to explore the town. I discovered a trail that traversed down along the river and decided to start there. It was a peaceful and relaxing walk and the bonus was finding some spring wildflowers blooming!!

After exploring the river, I wandered around the town admiring the old stone buildings, narrow streets, doorways and flowers. The church was closed – something we have been finding a good bit along our journey.

One thing that really stood out for me in France was the way shutters were utilized. They were on all the buildings. At night, everyone closed up their shutters and secured their homes. It was a habit that we got used to performing in all our accommodations. Was it for protection? To keep the light out for sleeping? Keep the bugs out? Warmth in the cooler months? I’m not sure why but shutters in France are not just decorative like they are in the States. They serve a function. And, the French do not use screens in their windows – at least in the region where we were walking. They will often hang very light lace or sheer curtains across the opening to discourage bugs and afford some privacy – but no screens. Often times, I would walk by homes with their windows wide open to the fresh air.

Gated entrances are common in the villages we passed through. I loved taking pictures of the many types of doors and gates. Check out that hefty stone lintel above the door!

Back at the gîte, I reconnected with Susan and we encountered two other women who were staying for the night. They were solo hikers who had also just met. We were reunited once again with Laure from our first night out and we were introduced to Martina who was just starting her walk. Martina spoke a little English and she informed us that she had recently retired and was walking from Le Puy all the way to Santiago de Compostela! A very impressive goal!

Andre cooked us up a great spaghetti dinner and proved to be a wonderful host and a terrific storyteller. He did not speak English so Martina did her best to translate his animated narrative. Sometimes I’m not sure we got all the story quite right! But, one tale was memorable. He told us how he was instrumental in playing matchmaker for a young couple who had met each other while staying at his gîte several years ago. He keeps meticulous records of everyone who stays with him including contact information when possible. Due to his visitor log, he was able to reconnect these two young people after they had lost touch with each other. One of them contacted him years after their pilgrimage and asked for the contact information he had on the other. I believe he said they ended up getting married and all because of the records he kept!

After dinner, Andre stamped our credentials and logged us into this record book.

Factoring in all the places we stayed during our 6-week walk, I do believe that I had one of the best night’s sleep right here in Andre’s humble, welcoming home.

The next morning after breakfast we took some photographs out by the bridge. We never did see Martina again. I wonder if she made it to Santiago…I hope so.

So, we cheated just a little bit on this morning. Laure’s knee was bothering her and Andre, super nice host that he was, offered to give her a ride to the trailhead near the Chapelle de la Madeleine. It would cut off about 3/4 of a mile of the steep climb out of town. He had room for two more and Susan and I did not hesitate to accept his invitation! 🙂

Our next stop would be the town of Saugues – a 12 kilometer walk from Monistrol. Andre was also instrumental in securing us accommodations there because, as luck would have it, his daughter and her partner operate at gîte in Saugues! A nice surprise!